Vancouver Molson Indy no more??????

[Argyle]

Edmonton in, Vancouver out in 2005

TSN.ca Staff with files from AP

10/28/2004

For the third straight year, Champ Car will make three separate visits to Canada in 2005. Regular stops in Toronto and Montreal have been augmented by a first time visit to Edmonton, Alberta as part of a 14 race schedule announced Thursday.
Unfortunately, Edmonton's gain is Vancouver's loss as the west coast stop is off the schedule, ending a 14 year run.
Champ Car officials say while the race is currently not on the 2005 schedule, discussions are ongoing with the promoter and a decision is expected by November. Officials acknowledge that preparations for the 2010 Winter Olympics are a priority for the city and they have not ruled out a return to Vancouver in the future following the Olympics.
Aside from Vancouver, two longstanding venues - Road America and Laguna Seca - are also absent from the schedule. Series officials say while the two events are popular with drivers and fans, talks are continuing with promoters to come up with a plan that makes economic sense to stage races there for the open-wheel series.
Champ Car President Dick Eidswick called the new schedule a "work in progress" noting that additional dates and races would likely be added to the calendar. He says his ideal number of races sits between 16 and 18 with the former a realistic target for 2005.
The season will start April 10 in Long Beach, which has been a staple on the Champ Car series for the past 30 years. The series will then move to Monterrey, Mexico for a May 22nd date. Series officials acknowledge that they are negotiating with other promoters to try and fill the 42 day void between the first two races of the season.
Milwaukee, one of only two oval races on the schedule, is set for June 4. The race, which has been run under the lights as a night event the past two years, will revert back to an afternoon race. Officials say cost and weather concerns necessitated the change.
Champ Car will return to Portland on June 19 followed by Cleveland on June 26, which moves away from it's traditional July 4th weekend date.
The first of three Canadian stops, Toronto, is set for July 10 to be followed by Edmonton a week later on July 17. The race will be staged on a 3.14-kilometre course located at the municipal airport. The one drawback is the July 17 race date, which coincides with the final weekend of the 2005 Calgary Stampede.
Champ Car's second of three new races in 2005 takes place on July 31 in the Silicon Valley of California. A street race in San Jose has been mentioned as the likely destination.
August features two races in Denver and Montreal on the 14th and 28th respectively. Las Vegas returns as the only night race on the schedule on Septembe 24 before the series moves overseas to close out the season.
Following an aborted start in 2004, Champ Car will make its debut in South Korea at a permanent road course in Ansan on October 16. Surfers Paradise, Australia and Mexico City close out the season October 23 and November 6 respectively.
Champ Car officials say they would like to add more races in Asia, specifically China, and Europe, however, those events won't show up on the schedule until 2006 at the earliest.
Champ Car officials said a new television package would be unveiled at a later date. Series co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven confirmed in Australia that open-wheel racing will be back on a major network in 2005.
"We didn't do a great television package this year, national or international, but that was because we only picked up the company in January," he said. "You just can't do it in time, so if there is one weakness, that has been it.
"For next year, we've had more time to negotiate, we'll be on a big network. And we'll have a better international package."
While he wouldn't confirm it, reports suggest the series will buy time on CBS in 2005 with other races airing on the U.S. cable network Speed.

Confirmed 2005 Champ Car Schedule

April 10 - Long Beach, California (street course)
May 22 - Monterrey, Mexico (road course)
June 4 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin (oval)
June 19 - Portland, Oregon (road course)
June 26 - Cleveland, Ohio (road course)
July 10 - Toronto, Ontario (street course)
July 17 - Edmonton, Alberta (road course)
July 31 - Silicon Valley, California (street course)
August 14 - Denver, Colorado (street course)
August 28 - Montreal, Quebec (road course)
September 24 - Las Vegas, Nevada (oval)
October 16 - Ansan, South Korea (road course)
October 23 - Surfers Paradise, Australia (street course)
November 6 - Mexico City, Mexico (road course)

No more Miss Indy Contest! No more hot tub parties! I will not survive!!! Guess that will have to be an Edmonton road trip...with a pit stop at the Edmonton Cowboys for the wet t-shirt night!!!